Maslamani Murder House Demolished

Torn down Wednesday, a vacant Detroit house where Matt Landry was murdered by Ihab Maslamani stood next door to where another murder and fire bombing took place years ago.

That’s according Chris Jones, a resident of the east-side neighborhood, who says such crimes will continue to happen if people don’t talk to police.

“Got to let them know about things that are going on in the neighborhood, and they don’t even have to let them know their names. The police, when I talked to them before, that’s the one complain they’ve got — that the neighbors won’t come forward with anything. And [police] can’t just drive around guessing what’s going on,” Jones said.

Jones said he remembers seeing Maslamani running through the neighborhood before last summer’s crime spree that sent him to prison.

Nedra Davis, who was raised on that block and whose mother still lives there, tells WWJ’s Florence Walton that the demolition crews shouldn’t stop at that one house.

“I mean, that’s understandable, because there was a body found over there. And, this one, there may not be no body found over there yet. But, if they come to tear that one down they should do a couple of other ones,” Davis said.

More than a dozen vacant burned out houses sit open to trespass on that street.

The city deemed the house at 14711 Maddelein Street an eyesore and a “dangerous structure” last April, but it couldn’t be demolished because it was still evidence in Maslamani’s trial.

Last Friday, a Macomb County jury convicted Maslamani of 18 counts, including killing the 21 year-old Landry in the abandoned house in August, 2009.

Meanwhile, the trial of the second suspect, Detroit teenager Robert Taylor, has been pushed back. It was due to get underway in Macomb County Circuit Court on October 26th, but has been rescheduled to December 1st.